Too Hot or, Schrödinger's Car
I got Civic's overheating problem fixed, though it's $525.35 added to the $800+ I spent on front wheels/axle-related stuff in April. I need my car to stop breaking important, expensive stuff for several months though.
What I actually need is a new/newer car, though the last time I went looking for a used car nearly two years ago local used car dealerships were actually even more crooked than the cliché about used car salesmen led me to expect. And, you know, money issues.
Anyway, the overheating problem turned out to be from my radiator and its hoses being so full of age-related gunk and debris that if I wasn't accelerating coolant couldn't be forced through it, which is why things got hot while the car was stopped and cooled while I was cruising. I needed to have my car's radiator, gasket, thermostat, and upper hose and lower hose replaced. The mechanic said I was lucky my car is older and thus the parts are less expensive; with a new car it'd be over $1,000 for replacements. Yeah, "lucky" is how I'm feeling. It's possible that the increased heat might have damaged some other engine components but....
The mechanic asked if I ever had the radiator flushed but I hadn't because I never had a mechanic suggest it. In retrospect, this problem has been gradually coming on for years but when I asked my Sunoco guys about the first hints, they just checked the antifreeze, said it was fine, and had no other suggestions, so that's a demerit on my good memories of them.
I took Civic for a drive tonight to test things, and was relieved to see the temperature remain normal, which is of course so much better than panicking and praying whenever I got caught in traffic.
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What I actually need is a new/newer car, though the last time I went looking for a used car nearly two years ago local used car dealerships were actually even more crooked than the cliché about used car salesmen led me to expect. And, you know, money issues.
Anyway, the overheating problem turned out to be from my radiator and its hoses being so full of age-related gunk and debris that if I wasn't accelerating coolant couldn't be forced through it, which is why things got hot while the car was stopped and cooled while I was cruising. I needed to have my car's radiator, gasket, thermostat, and upper hose and lower hose replaced. The mechanic said I was lucky my car is older and thus the parts are less expensive; with a new car it'd be over $1,000 for replacements. Yeah, "lucky" is how I'm feeling. It's possible that the increased heat might have damaged some other engine components but....
The mechanic asked if I ever had the radiator flushed but I hadn't because I never had a mechanic suggest it. In retrospect, this problem has been gradually coming on for years but when I asked my Sunoco guys about the first hints, they just checked the antifreeze, said it was fine, and had no other suggestions, so that's a demerit on my good memories of them.
I took Civic for a drive tonight to test things, and was relieved to see the temperature remain normal, which is of course so much better than panicking and praying whenever I got caught in traffic.
You can comment here or at the Dreamwidth crosspost.
comments at Dreamwidth.